The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1887-01-13

! y
/, Sit jest where you be; I'm goin' in jiffy
Thar, that's them now"
There was low tap at the door. Dicl
4 Bullen opened it quickly, nodded $1,000
night" 10 his host, and disappeared The
Old Man would have followed him but fol
The band that still unconsciously grasped hi
!, sleeve. He could have easily disengageti it
it was small, weak and emaciatsd Bue per
I liaps because it sr;is small, weak and cnla
ciated he changed his mind, and. drawing
his chair closer to the bed, rested his head
i upon it. In this defenseless attitude the DO
tency of his earlier rotations surprised him
The room fiiclsered aud faded before his eyes
reappeared, faded again, went out, and left
him-ssleep.
Meantime Dick Eullen, closing the door
Econfronted his companions. "irs YOU
readyw said Staples. Ready said Dick
whats the timcF' "Past L." was thc
reply; "can you make it!-it's nigh on fifty
miles, the round trip hither ard yonr 81
/ reckon" returned Dick, shortly. aWbar's
the mares" "BiIl and Jacks hoidn' l,er Of
the crossi,i,.n' Set 'enl sholl on mint
longer" sais Dick.
He turned and re-entered the house softly
BY the light of the gutter-ing candie and dy.
] Ing fire he saw that the door Of the little
room was open. He stepped toward 81 o.,
tiptoe and looked in. The Old Man had
fallen back in his chair, snoring, his helpless
feet thrust out in line with lis collapsed
shoulders, and his hat pulled down over his
eyes. Beside him, on a narrow wooden bed
stead, lay Johnny, muffied tightly il G
blanket that hid all save strip Of forehead
and few curls damp with perspirat:on.
| Bullen made step forward, hesitated, and
/ glanced over his shoulder into the deserted
room. Everything was quiet. With SUD.
den resolution lie parted bis huge mustaches
with both hands and stopped over tile sleep
| ing boy. But even as he did 50 a niischievou:
blast, lying in wait, swooped down the chin.
ney, rekindled tho hearth, and lit up the
! room with shameless glow from which Dick
fed in bashful terror.
His companions were already waiting for
him at the crossing. Two OF them were
struggling in the darkness with some strange
misshapen bulk, which as Dick came nearer
took the semblance Of great yellow
horse. .-s-.-=-7-----.-.-
| It was the mare She was rot pretty
! picture. From Der Roman nose to her rising
haunches, from her arched spine, hidden by
the stiff machillas OF Mexican saddle, tc
her thick, straight, bony legs, there was moi
a line Ut equine grace. In her half blind hui
wholly vicious white eyes, in Der protrudiug
under lip, in her monstro,is color, there wa:
nothing but ugliness and vice.
"t'ow, tlfen,n said Staples, ''stand cl'ar OF
her heels, boys, and up with you. Don't
miss your first holt Of lIcr name, and mind ye
get your off stirrup quick. Ready.'
There was leap, scramblmg struggle, q
bound. wild retreat of the crowd, q circle
of flying hoofs, two springless leaps that
Jared tho earth, rapid play and jingle Of
spurs, plunge, and then the voice Of
Dick somewhere in the darkness, .Al
right .-......-.--.
"Dont take the lower road back o,,ies:
you're hard pushed for time. Don't bold hcI
in down hill! Wen le at tlc ford at 5
Glang! HooDa! t1nia! Co..
a splash, II spark struck from the ledge il
the road, a chatter in the rocky cut beyond
and Dick was gore.
=
Sing, 0 MGsr, the ride Of Richard RuIlcn
Sing, . Muse, OF chivalrous men! the sacred
quest, the doughty deeds, the battery Of low
chr,, IS, the feur+omc ride AMI srewsone perth
Of tho flower OF simpsons Bar! Alack! she
is dainty, this Muse! She viii have none Of
this bucking brute and staggering, ragged
rider, and 1 must fain follow him i'll prose
afoo.! s..........- -. .....
1t was O'Clock, and yet he had only gaincd
Rattlcsnake hill For in that time Jovita
and practse,l all Der vices. Thrice had she
! stumbled. Twice had she thrown up hor
Roman nose in straight line with the rei,.s
and, resisting bit and spur, struck out rnadly
across country. Twice had she reared, and
i rearing, fallen backward; and twice had the
| agile Dick, uuharmed, regained his seat before
she found her vicious legs again. And mile
beyond them, at the foot Of long hill, was
Rattlesnake creek. Dick knew that here was
the crucial test of bis ability TO perform hIs
enterprise, set his teeth grimly, put his knees
well into her Hanks, and changed lis de
! felisive tactics to brisk aggression. Bullied
and maddened, Jovita began tho descent OF
the hill. Here the artful Richard pretended
to hold her in with ostentatious objurgator
and well-feigneds cries of alarm. 1t is un.
necessary to add that Jovita instantly RAJ,
away, nor iced state the time made in the
descent; it is written i'll tho chronicles
Of Simpsons Bar. Enough that i;
she was splashing Oh the orcriiowed banks
of Rattlcsnake creek. As Dick expected, tho
momentum she had acquired carried her lie
You'd the point of baking, and, hoklins Lei
well together for mighty leap, they dashed
into tho middle Of the swiftly flowing cur
rent. A few moments of kicking, waa!ing
and swimming, and Dick drew a long breath
on the opposite bank.
/ The road from Rattlesnake creek to Red
mountain was tolerably level. Either the
plunge in Rattlesnake creek had dampcned
her baleful fire, or the art which led to it had
shown her the superior wickedness of hel
rider, for Jovita no longer wasted her sur
plus energy in wanton conceits. Once she
bucked, but it was from force of habit; once
she SHE'D, but it was from q new, freshly
painted meeting house at the crossing of the
country road. Hoilows, bitches, gravely
deposits. patches of freshly springinS grasses,
flow from beneath her rafting hoofs. She
began TO smell unpieasantly, once or twice
she coughcd slightly, but there was no abate-
mcnt OF her strength or speed. by 9 o'clocls
| Inc had passed Red mountain and begun the
descent to the plain. Ten minutes later tile
driver of the fast Pioneer coach was oyeltak
en- and passed by q imam on a Pinto hoss7--an
event sufficiently notable for remark. a,
800 Dick rose in bis sti1ups with grea,
shout. Stars were Clittering through the
,ifted clouds, and beyond him, out CT tlis
plain, rose two spires, flagstaff and strag
i Cling line OF blac!, objects Dick jingied hi.
spurs and sTung his RATA, Joyita bounded
forward, and in another moment they swep,
into Tuttleville and drew up before th,
wooden piazza of the Hotel of All Ma
tons
What transpired that right ct Tuttlevills
] is not strictly a part OF this recoral Brief,
may ate, however, that after Jovita bai
been banded over to a sleepy hostler, whom
she at once kicked into unpleasant uncon
ccir,,euocs Dirk soljia<f o,1t rr;.l, tl,, L.,